dive tourism

What is dive tourism?

Dive tourism has been defined as individuals traveling from their usual place of residence, spending at least one night away and actively participating in one or more activities, including scuba diving, snorkelling, snuba or the use of rebreathing apparatus (Garrod and Gossling, 2008). These days, we would include free diving in the definition of dive tourism.

Dive tourism is ubiquitous and occurs all over the world but by far the majority of dive tourism happens in the less developed countries of the tropics, where the waters are warm, the sea is blue with great visibility and sea conditions are often calm. Many divers learn to dive on holiday in the tropics and dive very little on return to the temperate waters of their homes. It is often easier and more beautiful to dive in the tropics, where most of the world’s coral reefs lie. As dive tourists gain more experience, many will continue to explore other locations around the tropics on regular dive tourism holidays. There is so much to see and experience.